The Edmonton Oilers never play well on Sunday afternoons in the Eastern Conference. I don’t have the stats but my memory recalls endless hours of torture (one time they played on April Fools in I think Washington and were possibly the worst Oilers team ever. Iirc Mike Grier apologized) in these games. My backup plan involves cleaning out stuff underneath the deck but really it’s an excuse to check on the rabbits that spend most of the winter with us.

ESTIMATED CAP FOR 2015-16 ROSTER

LEFT WING (13.575M)

CENTER (11.35M-EST)

RIGHT WING (15.475M-EST)

TAYLOR HALL (6M)

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS (6M)

JORDAN EBERLE (6M)

BENOIT POULIOT (4M)

DEREK ROY (1.5M-EST)

NAIL YAKUPOV (3.5M-EST)

LEON DRAISAITL (.925M)

ANTON LANDER (.850M-EST)

TEDDY PURCELL (4.5M)

MATT HENDRICKS (1.85M)

BOYD GORDON (3M)

ROB KLINKHAMMER (.725M)

LUKE GAZDIC (.800M)

TYLER PITLICK (.750M)

LEFT DEFENSE (6.319M-EST)

RIGHT DEFENSE (11.8M)

OSCAR KLEFBOM (1.244M)

JUSTIN SCHULTZ (3.675M-EST)

ANDREW FERENCE (3.25M)

NIKITA NIKITIN (4.5M)

MARTIN MARINCIN (.900M-EST)

MARK FAYNE (3.625M)

JORDAN OESTERLE (.925M)

GOAL (3.0M EST)

BEN SCRIVENS (2.3)

R BACHMAN (.700M-EST)

The estimated cap hit here (for the bare bones Oilers) comes in at 61,519,000. If the 2015-16 cap comes in at 72M, Edmonton should have 10M in cap room if they spend to the limit. I doubt they do it, it looks to me like another rebuilding season in 2015-16. MacT saved Mr. Katz (probably) 9M in trading Perron and Petry, my bet here is that they go on the inexpensive side and replace those men with Draisaitl and Marincin (saving 5-6M depending on Leon’s bonus) for next season.

If you’re expecting Antti Niemi, Johnny Boychuk and Antoine Vermette, suspect it’ll be a very disappointing summer for you. Depending on what happens at the draft, it’s far more likely we see Martin Jones, Adam McQuaid and Derek Roy. I don’t see any good reason for this Oilers team to spend to the cap. Too many holes.

HIRE NELSON

When people talk about getting Mike Babcock or Todd McLellan or Ken Hitchcock to coach the team, I’m sure it’s with the idea of contending for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The only problem with that is there are simply too many holes to fill. Edmonton had holes in goal, defense and center before dealing Perron and Petry and the gap now is too far to overcome in one summer. No, the big hire at coach—if it comes—won’t be this summer.

Which brings us to Todd Nelson. I wrote at ON last night the Oilers should hire him and that’s the play here. Giving Nelson the job next season gives this organization their very best chance to develop role players for the future AND it may mean saving Nail Yakupov. I say “may” because despite appearances (the possession numbers are down under Nelson but he looks better, swear to God) it does appear the young Russian is turning a corner.

Either way, that’s the only way I can make sense of this organizations trading of David Perron and Jeff Petry for just picks. They are convinced 2015-16 is yet another season of 50 losses and investing to the cap is simply not worth it. Darryl Katz may have sounded the alarm, or MacT may feel he has another season beyond this one (I’m not sure he does) to turn north. Either way, 2015-16 is probably over before Easter 2015.

LAST 10 GAMES

Jordan Eberle 10GP, 0-8-8 -4

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 10GP, 4-3-7 -3

Nail Yakupov 9GP, 3-4-7 -2

Teddy Purcell 10GP, 3-2-5 -4

Derek Roy 10GP, 2-3-5 -2

Oscar Klefbom 10GP, 0-4-4 -10

Andrew Ference 10GP, 0-3-3 -1

Jeff Petry 5GP, 0-3-3 +2

Benoit Pouliot 9GP, 2-1-3 -4

Justin Schultz 10GP, 1-2-3 -9

Anton Lander 4GP, 2-0-2 -2

Mark Fayne 10GP, 1-0-1 -2

Luke Gazdic 8GP, 1-0-1 +1

Boyd Gordon 10GP, 0-1-1 -1

Ryan Hamilton 10GP, 0-1-1 -2

Matt Hendricks 8GP, 1-0-1 -5

Jordan Oesterle 4GP, 0-1-1 -1

Iiro Pakarinen 8GP, 0-1-1 -3

Ben Scrivens 7GP, 2.53 .918

Richard Bachman 1GP, 8.89 .852

Bachman gets the start today. Nail’s last 10 games are encouraging, have to say.

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205 Responses to "OILERS AT HURRICANES, G66 2014-15"

Lowetide: Yeah, I’ve read a few things on it and know you’re right. It SEEMS like there should be a connection but it’s probably not there. Scarlet Johansson will one day totally introduce herself to me though, you can’t take THAT dream from me!

Ms Johansson will likely introduce herself to you before the Oilers next make the playoffs.

I’m just now getting a chance to finish watching the game, and I like to watch the home feeds on away games, if I can stomach them.

Hockey in the southern US is marketed to a very low economic class. Very strange stuff like the Bojangles and Papa John’s gimmicks.

Anyway, I logged on to say: “Holy crap! That move by Yak at 11:25 of the 2nd, where he won the race for the loose puck down deep in the Canes’ zone, and right as he got to the puck at full speed (he got there a split second before the Canes defender), he made a faint like he was going to immediately pull back (that was dishonest Yak, you’re a bad, bad man!) towards the blue line (away from goal) and then, without even losing forward momentum (but after the d-man bit hard on the move and became a pylon) Yak pulled the puck toward goal, and, !AND! centered the puck perfectly to an AHLer (Fraser), who missed the puck completely. Holy crap, what a play by Yak!”